Day 3: Contextualization
Jake Potter, author
Read
Acts 17:16-34
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
Reflect
A huge issue in world missions today is the process of contextualization. The basic idea of contextualization is taking the gospel to a new context and finding biblically faithful and culturally appropriate ways to communicate it so that it is understandable to those in that new context. This process is crucial, because symbols, including language, can take on different meanings in different contexts. On top of that, finding ways to communicate the gospel in a new cultural context is important so that we can both communicate clearly and effectively. We want to communicate the gospel in a way that allows people to both understand and experience the power of the gospel.
This process of contextualization has actually been practiced since the time of the New Testament and before. The most prominent example of contextualization is found in Acts 17, where Paul goes to Athens and addresses the Areopagus. Paul’s speech begins with citing their own altar to an unknown god, and later quotes from current, non-Christian authors (Epimenides of Crete and Aratus’s poem Phainomena) when telling the gospel message. In fact, Paul only cites Greek sources when sharing the Gospel here, and never once mentioned Old Testament scriptures. Dean Flemming makes several key observations about Paul’s presentation of the Gospel here:
“Paul’s ministry in Athens is a model of cultural sensitivity and adjustment to his audience. Paul demonstrates an awareness of Athenian culture that gains credibility and earns him the right to be heard. He keenly observes their religious beliefs and shows familiarity with their ancient literary and philosophical traditions. He uses this insight to respectfully engage their worldview, drawing upon indigenous language, images, and concepts to communicate the gospel in culturally relevant forms… At the same time, Paul refuses to syncretize his message or to compromise its truth claims. Paul engages Athenian culture with the goal of its transformation. There are non-negotiables to Paul’s message that confront the prevailing assumptions of his audience.”[1]
In Paul’s speech, he demonstrates cultural sensitivity and establishes his credibility. Paul understands the aesthetic and medium of the works he quotes, he understands the message and values of the works, but the core of his message stems from what he understands about how the works seek to define who we are and what we love. He pays particular attention to the altar to the unknown god not because it is an idol, or because of the theological message it sends to its worshipers, but because of what the altar implies about who they are and what they desire. He notes that the altar shows that they define themselves as very religious and that they have an innate desire know the God whom they do not yet know.
Once Paul has thoroughly understood and analyzed the cultural works, he selects key works to weave the message of the Gospel into the Athenian context, and moves from the starting point of a cultural work into the message of the Gospel, while continuing to cite other cultural works to support his message. Flemming describes this approach as a balance between “an identifying approach that proclaims the gospel in ways the audience can understand and… a transforming approach that resists compromising the gospel’s integrity in a pluralistic world.”[2]
This issue in world missions is something that I am particularly passionate about, because I have seen its impact in both my life and in the lives of people I have ministered to. When I came back from my first mission trip to Tokyo, I wanted to be intentional about making friends with some Japanese international students here in Texas. One of the students I befriended was a girl named Yuka. Yuka had never met a Christian before while living in Japan. As we became closer friends, she began to open up to me more and would share about deeper things going on in her life.
As I continued to spend time with Yuka, we would also talk about things in Japanese pop-culture. She asked me about a Japanese anime show called Neon Genesis Evangelion, which she didn’t understand. That show just so happens to be one of my favorite shows, and is littered with Christian symbolism and themes. We discussed the show, which eventually led to us opening up the Bible to discuss what the show was talking about. We sat down and read parts of the first three chapters of Genesis, reading about the fall of man and how sin entered the world, which lead us to talking about suffering and pain, and eventually led to what Jesus came and died on the cross for. By the end of our conversation, Yuka was in tears. God was working in her heart, and revealing the truth to her through his word—all because of a conversation that started by talking about an anime.
This is contextualization in action. When we minister to people outside of our own cultural context, we need to understand things in their culture and start the conversation on common ground. Just like Paul in Athens, we can demonstrate cultural sensitivity and credibility, build trust and understanding, and then move into a place where the person is more receptive to hearing about the gospel.
[1] Flemming, Dean. Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns For Theology and Mission. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2005. Pg 82
[2] Ibid, pg 86
Respond
You don’t necessarily have to leave the United States to share Jesus with the world. Like Yuka, people from all over are living in Collin County. Do you know someone that’s from a different part of the world? How could you be intentional about having a meaningful conversation with them? Could you discover a point of connection that might help you share Christ?
Mission Trip Highlights
In this section, we’re be highlighting Christ Fellowship’s short term mission trips. There will be a mission trip meeting to hear about all our trips on November 15. Use the links below to read more about each trip and pray about whether or not you feel God calling you to participate by going or sending.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (2 Trips)
June 30- July 7, 2021: https://cfhome.focusmissions.com/!#/14117/dominican-republic-trip–1-june-30-july-7
July 7-14, 2021: https://cfhome.focusmissions.com/!#/18893/dominican-republic-trip–2–july-7-14
Work teams will travel to rural villages for medical, dental, vision clinics. We will have various construction projects that are ongoing and children’s ministry (VBS) opportunities. This team will bring the gospel to small villages through medical outreaches. Skilled medical/dental / vision personnel are needed, but the trip is open to all. We will train all participants for all support ministry roles.
To see info on all trips, click here: https://cfhome.focusmissions.com/!#/